The invention relates to a process for the continuous production of enzyme products particularly by means of extracellular enzymes.
Processes for effecting the conversion of products by means of enzymes disposed on carrier materials have been known. The difficulties encountered with the regeneration of water insoluble carrier supported enzymes have caused the attempts to obtain better results by using ultrafilters in the enzyme formation. When making proteolytic enzymes this resulted in higher enzyme activities in the fermentation broth (E. S. K. Chian et al., Process Biochem, 4 (9), 47 (1969)). The ultrafiltration with carrier disposed enzymes has been described in case of chymotrypsin by S. P. O'Neill et al., Biotechn. & Bioeng., 13, 319 (1971)).
None of these publications described a process for the continuous production of conversion products by means of enzymes.
The addition of pure enzyme to a substrate can be effected only in small amounts because of the high cost. Since the reaction speed is proportional to the enzyme concentration the reaction time is comparatively long. Besides the conversion product must be separated from the enzyme, byproducts and contaminations in a complicated process.
If immobilized (fixated) enzymes are used the filling and emptying of the columns is also difficult and the process cannot easily be automated. The control of the columns presents problems and the switching from one column to the other column is difficult.